s was beyond his expectations; and, as
the spirit of agriculture continued to gain upon him, he gradually lost
his relish for every other description of business. He consequently gave
up his large shop in C------m, and went to reside upon his farm, with a
capital of some thousands, which he owed to the industry of his previous
life. Here he added farm to farm, until he found himself proprietor of
nearly six hundred acres, with every prospect of adding largely to his
independence and wealth.

It was now that his capacity as a man peculiarly well acquainted with
the value of land, and of agricultural produce in general, induced him
to accept of offers in connection with the collection of tithe, which
were a good deal in accordance with his ability and habits. In short, he
became a tithe-proctor, and in the course of a few years rented tithes
himself to a very large amount.

Such is the brief history of Matthew Purcel, at the period when he makes
his appearance upon our humble stage; and it only remains that we add a
few particulars with regard to his family. Out of eleven children only
four survived--two sons and two daughters--all of whom were exceedingly
well educated, the latter accomplished. Purcel's great object in life
was more to establish a family than to secure the individual happiness
of his children. This was his ambition--the spirit which prompted him,
in his dealings with the people, to forget too frequently that the garb
of justice may be often thrown over the form of rapacity, and that the
authority of law is also, in too many instances, only another name for
oppression.

It would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to find in their native
province four such children as called him father. His two sons were,
in symmetry of figure, strength, courage, manly beauty, and gentlemanly
bearing, almost unrivalled. They possessed the manners of gentlemen,
without any of that offensive coxcombry on the one side, or awkward
affectation of ease on the other, which generally mark the upstart.
In fact, although they understood their own worth, and measured their
intellectual powers and acquirments successfully with those of rank and
birth, they had sense enough to feel that it would have been ridiculous
in them to affect by their conduct the prestige of either; and they
consequently knew that both discrimination and delicacy were necessary
in enabling them to assume and maintain that difficult bearing in
society, which p